Being able to predict, with confidence, the amount by which your product will displace when a force is applied is advantageous. Being able to then specify the desired amount of displacement at every point on your product enables a level of product optimisation beyond any of your competitors.

Within, through their suite of technologies are able to accurately specify the distance by which the edge of your product displaces when a load is applied. This tailoring can be customised, giving every region a different stiffness.

Combining this objective with one of overall weight reduction, can result in a product that is lighter weight and yet maintains its desired structural characteristics.

The direction in which the surface of an object displaces when loaded can also be specified. Shifting the direction of the displacement away from the direction of the load has the effect of redirecting the energy of the load in a different direction which is useful for impact absorption.

Applications

Protective Equipment
Protective equipment such as helmets and body armour is designed to withstand impacts. Traditionally, this is achieved by simply absorbing the energy in the direction of the impact. This, however, has its limitations. Firstly most impact bearing materials are suited only to a very short range of impact velocities and energies. Secondly, absorbing the energy of impacts head-on often requires a lot of padding which has disadvantages of weight and volume.
A suitably optimised lattice can, with very little thickness, redirect the energy of an impact in multiple directions and away from fragile areas.

Sensors
Knowing and indeed designing the relationship between a load and its resulting displacement can, if combined with simple switches, result in the creation of very effective touch sensing.